More and more high buildings now exist in the world. A problem arising from them is that their excessive height may cause the occupants to be at risk when normal routes of egress are blocked or inoperative during an emergency, such as an earthquake or a fire.
In view of the problem, an egress device that can lower a user from a high level to the ground outside a building was developed. FIG. 4 shows a conventional emergency egress device in which a post (90) is pivotally connected to an arm (92) that has a ring (920) attached to the free end thereof, and a governor (94) with harness (96), line (980) and reel (98) are stored in a box (99) in the general proximity of the base of the past (90).
In the event of an emergence, the arm (92) is pivoted about an axial 900 to a horizontal position to extend the free end thereof outside a window or over the edge of a balcony and clear of the side of the building. The governor (94) with harness (96), line (980) and reel (98) are removed from the storage box (99), and the governor (94) is attached to the ring (920) at the end of the arm (92) by means of a C-ring (940). The harness (96) is attached to the rope (980) which is reeved through the governor (94) and wound on the reel (98). The reel (98) is dropped to the ground thereby unwinding the rope (980) from the reel (98). The user securely places the around his/her body, slides or jumps from the window or balcony ledge and is lowered to the ground away from the event causing the emergency.
This conventional emergency egress device is useful in an emergence, however, the primary disadvantage is the multiplicity of steps that must be taken to prepare the device for use. In short the user loses a great deal of time preparing the device before an escape can be made. Another disadvantage includes the necessity to slide or leap from the window or balcony ledge before any weight is put on the device and the user natural reluctance to take such a leap. Finally, the conventional device requires floor space for storage.